Virgin Media stages Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit' film in a forest

Virgin Media staged a special screening of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on Monday night (April 8) in a forest as part of a series of events for Virgin Movies.

The event, set within a Middle-earth-styled 'shire' deep in England's New Forest, saw cinema-goers mingle with costumed actors resembling characters from the iconic JRR Tolkien book.

Gandalf and Hobbit friends enjoy the movie

The screening was held to celebrate the continued success of Virgin Movies, the rebranded films store on cable TV and online, offering hundreds of the latest and best titles including The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Silver Linings Playbook, Rise of the Guardians and more.

The Hobbit's unusual audience at the event

Virgin Media screens 'The Hobbit' in a forest

Actor Martin Freeman, who stars as Bilbo Baggins in the new trilogy, has previously stated that he had never read JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings novels prior to his casting, but is now a fan.

He admitted: ''I hadn't read any of the books. I got familiar with Middle-earth through Peter Jackson's films. Now I can see why people love that world so much.''

Watch stars of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey discuss their roles in upcoming sequel The Desolation of Smaug below: